Issue 11 - WINTeR 2015 - DutySheet

North Yorkshire Volunteers face freezing weatherSee PAGES 8 - 9

Issue 11 - WINTeR 2015

The year 2014 was a good one for Police Support Volunteers and it got off to a cracking start with the Citizens in Policing conference at College of Policing, Ryton in January. It was well attended, highly informative and set a challenging agenda. Well done to our dynamic duo, Volunteers Bob Johnson and Terry Wilkins. An item of note was the concept of Citizen Academies, well established in the USA, and beginning to re-emerge in the UK. A guidance document was subsequently produced by Dave Simmonds of the College of Policing and is a useful reference for those considering the introduction of Citizen Academies.

In April, Lancashire Constabulary hosted the Volunteer Police Cadet conference, which was hugely inspirational. It is great to see the numbers of VPC’s rising above 6,500, with more and more Forces coming on board.

In June we established a new body, Citizens in Policing Community of Practice (CiPCoP), which brought together the Special Constabulary National Consultative Group and the Police Support Volunteer National representatives in company with wider representation from the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Association; Volunteer Police Cadets and

the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and other key stakeholders. This is emerging as an effective forum to nurture ideas and share good practice to provide opportunities for citizens in policing, aiming to promote ‘a career in volunteering in policing’.

A number of our volunteers received national recognition for their service during the year. The annual Lord Ferrer’s Awards, held at the Houses of Parliament and hosted by the Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. Teresa May MP honoured the following people and teams:

• Chris Channon (NottsPolice) – Police Support Volunteer of the Year

• Met Police Visual Images Identification and Detection Office – Police Support Volunteer Team Award

Several volunteers were recognised in the New Years Honours list:

• Vincent Lobley (Humberside)

• Elizabeth Virgo (Metropolitan)

• Jean Greenwood (Nottinghamshire)

• Surrinder Khurana (Lincolnshire)

• Paul Harrison (Metropolitan)

• Geoffrey Ogden (Humberside

• Carole Atkinson (Metropolitan)

• Jim Maddan (Chair, Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network)

Heartfelt congratulations to all of you!

2015 is already well under way and this year we seek to embed CiPCoP and its ambitious work programme in support of Citizens in Policing.

Thank you all for what you are doing in support of YOUR Police Service.

DCC Michael Banks ACPO Citizens in Policing National Lead

VOLUNTEERING MATTERS Issue 112

Volunteering Matters is produced with support from SC Graham Holmes, College of Policing, Volunteers and Volunteer practitioners.

Please send your views, ideas and articles to: [email protected]

Front Cover photo: Greater Manchester Police Museum Volunteers

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WELCOME

Issue 11 VOLUNTEERING MATTERS 3

Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police launch Citizens AcademiesSeptember saw the launch of a new and exciting community engagement initiative called Citizens’ Academies. Two academies took place over 10 weeks, (once a week for two hours), one in Shropshire (West Mercia) and one in Rugby (Warwickshire) involving 45 members of the public who volunteered their time to learn more about policing.

The aim of a Citizens’ Academy was to increase the public’s knowledge and understanding of the law and the challenges the police face. It is hoped that with this higher degree of knowledge about the police service, they will go on to be advocates within their community or become further involved with the police by becoming a Special Constable or Police Support Volunteer.

20 people were selected for the West Mercia Citizens’ Academy taking place at Shrewsbury Police Station from 10th September and 25 for the Warwickshire Citizens’ Academy starting on 16th September at Rugby College. This was achieved by an advertisement in local newspapers and use of do-it-all.org (volunteer agency). Application forms were utilised and most applicants successfully gained a place on the courses.

The course covered a range of topics including forensics, police use of firearms and Taser,

police dogs, cyber crime, hate crime, crime prevention and many more. These subjects were delivered by subject experts including police officers and staff. At the end of the course, the participants “graduated” in a formal ceremony hosted by the Chief Constables. Existing Police Support Volunteers supported these events attending sessions and assisting with administrative processes. The programme culminated in North Warwickshire and Shropshire, with Special Constables volunteering their time to conduct ‘ride-alongs’ as part of the Citizens’ Academy programmes. This involved taking members of the public, who had graduated from the academy, out on a shift to give them an insight into day-to-day policing and the challenges officers face.

Having the Special Constabulary assist with this exciting part of the programme added great value to the participants and enabled regular police officers to continue with their day job of protecting the public from harm.

The West Mercia Citizens’ Academy was led by Superintendent James Tozer and Warwickshire Citizens’ Academy was led by Superintendent Martin Samuel. The programme was funded by both Police and Crime Commissioners and overseen by ACC Gareth Morgan. It is now hoped to roll this programme out further across both forces.

Warwickshire citizens being presented with their graduation certificate by Chief Constable Andy Parker

West Mercia Citizens Academy Graduation


Vince Lobley , aged 80 years, from Scunthorpe was awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Years Honours List for his dedicated voluntary service to the local community.

Mr Lobley joined Humberside Police as a volunteer in 2007 and has staffed the front office of various police stations for more than 4,000 hours. He said he was “so proud” to be honoured. “It came totally out of the blue. I’m over the moon to be honoured by my country and Queen. It’s a great honour because I’m just doing something that I love doing. I don’t have to go to work.” Mr Lobley, who grew up in Frodingham and used to be a councillor, became involved with the police force after one of his neighbours, who was a police officer, encouraged him to volunteer. He said: “I used to moan to him about different problems and would ask what the police were going to do about it and one day he just said to me ‘Join as a volunteer and help to do something

about it’, so I did and when that door opened I grabbed it and I have never looked back.” “It’s not just the job of the police to tackle problems, it is all of us working together to fight crime. I’m just an ordinary Scunthorpe lad. Joining Humberside Police as a volunteer was one of the best things I have ever done.” In his capacity as a volunteer, Vince carries out roles including proof-reading witness statements and supporting the neighbourhood policing teams with community events. He has also helped to distribute crime prevention advice to visitors and officers during the launch of Immobilise, part of a computerised property recording system. “A lot of the work is dealing with the public. If they come to the desk to report a crime, we can pass this through to control and command.” Vince said. Mr Lobley, who has been married for 57 years and has two children and one grandchild, said his family are very proud of him and he has no plans to retire. Chief Constable Justine Curran said: “Mr Lobley is a real ambassador for Humberside Police. The work that he

and his fellow volunteers do for the force is such a benefit to us and to the communities we serve. We are indebted to them for their many hours of service which supports our front line staff and I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of the British Empire Medal.” Joy Harvie, Community and Partnership Officer at Humberside Police who manages the volunteers, said: “Vince is a very dedicated member of my team. His passion for his volunteer work is overwhelming, and his commitment to the Police Service Volunteer scheme is second to none. I am over the moon that he has been recognised in the Queens New Year’s honours list he is a true gentleman and a very worthy recipient.” Mr Lobley, who was also recognised in 2009 through a local Divisional Commander’s commendation for his commitment to policing, will travel to Buckingham Palace to receive his medal at a ceremony in May.

MEDAL AWARDED FOR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY


Volunteers with a Chinese heritage have been recruited in Blackpool and Preston to support a new project to develop better engagement and build confidence between the police and Chinese Community. The volunteers will be offering support and guidance to people who ring the Chinese Help and Information Phone (C.H.I.P ) line. The Chinese Community will still be directed to ring 101 or 999 in an emergency but this will be an avenue to support third party reporting The helpline will be managed on

a rota by Chinese volunteers who are bi-lingual and speak English and then either Cantonese or Mandarin. The volunteers have started a training programme including key areas such as hate crime, domestic abuse, road policing Issues, contact management processes, and Neighbourhood Policing, so that they are able to give appropriate advice and signpost to the right departments.

The C.H.I.P launches to coincide with the Chinese New Year celebrations in Blackpool.

Lancashires Chinese Help and Information Phone

Rita Armin and Jim McMurdo, Police Support Volunteers for Stockport Police in Manchester, recently had an assignation with the Drug Squad in Manchester. Rita says “I was well taken care of by Inspector Phil Spurgeon, who assigned a PCSO to take care of me whilst on the job! Many leaflets were distributed to the public by yours truly, and a very positive response was received from most people. It was a “name and shame” exercise, and I had to wear a t-shirt with the faces of 11 drug

criminals on and also indicating how long their prison sentences were. Although it was pouring down when we started, it wasn’t long before the sun came out, which made everyone feel much better.

There was a huge TV screen at the event showing the 11 criminals. Rita says “ I made friends with the TV crew, who provided me with refreshment in the form of a cup of coffee!”


A Drugs Assignment for two GMP Volunteers

Volunteers from Northumberland villages have been quick to step up to the mark to help keep speeding motorists at bay. The Northumbria Police Community Speed Watch (CSW) scheme has recruited 31 locals from Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick and Hexham who will assist officers tackling speeding in local areas. The scheme began as a pilot in Rothbury and has been so successful the decision was made to expand into other areas where local people have

raised speeding as an issue that concerns them. The volunteers have all received training, support and specialist equipment to monitor the speed of vehicles. Under the CSW scheme anyone found speeding will receive a police and community letter, letting them know that the local community does not tolerate speeding. If the same driver is identified a number of times then officers will make contact with the driver and action may be taken.

Chief Inspector Aidan Sloan of Northumberland Area Command said: “I’m pleased that we’re able to expand this successful scheme into other parts of Northumberland. Speeding affects many people and is a main concern for residents in smaller areas. The scheme aims to make motorists aware that police and local residents are taking positive action and are working together to improve the safety and quality of life for everyone.”


Northumbria Volunteers to help curb speeding


Dozens of local volunteers from across the north of England braved one of the coldest nights of the year to take part in a major police operation targeting travelling criminals.

In North Yorkshire, more than 40 farmers and Watch volunteers, representing Borderwatch, Thirsk Valewatch, Girsby Watch, Bedale Watch and Stokesley Watch, worked alongside officers from North Yorkshire Police and five other police forces as part of Operation Checkpoint – the fifth of its kind since January 2014.

The overnight operation in February, was designed to gather intelligence

about travelling criminals, disrupt their use of the road network and bring anyone found breaking the law to justice. In North Yorkshire this resulted in 95 vehicles being stopped and checked in North Yorkshire.

Police tactics included the widespread use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to target vehicles suspected of being connected to crime, as well as targeting vehicles seen in suspicious circumstances.

North Yorkshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy, who is also the Association of Chief Police Officer’s lead for ANPR, said, “We are lucky to

North Yorkshire Volunteers brave freezing conditions to support cross-border crime crackdown


have excellent support from dozens of Watch volunteers in North Yorkshire, who were able to maximize their local knowledge across hundreds of square miles, directing officers to key points of interest and suspicious activity. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support. Their assistance is invaluable, especially in an area like North Yorkshire where we police vast areas of remote countryside.

The operation also gives us the opportunity to provide reassurance in rural areas and brief farmers about the latest crime trends and security advice.”

In North Yorkshire, four drivers were issued with fixed penalty notices for various offences including no MOT, defective tyres and not wearing a seatbelt. In addition, a quantity of drugs were seized and a cannabis warning

issued following a search of a suspicious vehicle.

Elsewhere, two vehicles were seized in the Northumbria Police area, one for no insurance and the other as it was suspected of being used in crime. Northumbria arrested one man for vehicle theft and recovered a chainsaw believed to be stolen property. Cleveland Police made an arrest for a burglary and cable theft in Guisborough.

In a number of areas snow and freezing conditions hampered visibility and prevented officers stopping as many vehicles as they had wished. They were also called to other incidents during the night – for example, officers in North Yorkshire stopped to assist a member of the public whose car had ended up in a ditch.


The Sussex Youth Commission (SYC) is a pilot project launched in January 2014 by the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner in partnership with the SHM Foundation, to give young people across the county an opportunity to have a voice on policing and crime.

Members of the newly-formed 2015 SYC come from Littlehampton, Arun, Bexhill, Hailsham, Crawley, Brighton and Hove, Haywards Heath, Peacehaven, Eastbourne and many more locations. The group contains a true diversity that reflects the varied nature of the youth population in Sussex.

The SYC met for the first time on Saturday 31 January and discussed the issues they wanted to tackle in their communities and peer groups. They have identified the following five key priority topics to explore in 2015:• Hate Crime • Cyber-bullying and Online Harassment • Drug and Alcohol Abuse • Supporting Young Offenders • Relations with the Police

The feedback from this inaugural session was very positive. Some of the comments from new members were: “It was a chance to explore problems in the community”; “I was impressed by how dedicated people are to change”; “There was a huge range of different views in the room”; “I felt like I was making, or about to make, a difference.”

Sussex Youth Commission

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Mrs Katy Bourne

In November, the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (NHWN) hosted a national event in London to collect input from partners and stakeholders on its next 5-year Business Plan.

They discussed the aims of the NHW movement, its strategic direction and what they would like it to achieve by 2020. The three main themes of the event were crime prevention, the effective use of resources and building stronger neighbourhoods. Speakers included DCC Michael Banks from the Association of Chief Police Officers, Essex Police & Crime Commissioner Nick Alston CBE, ACC Jo Byrne of South Yorkshire Police and Professor Gloria Laycock OBE.

Workshop discussions identified the need for simple technological solutions and two-way communication, while on the topic of cybercrime it was acknowledged that local skills and knowledge provide important opportunities to identify vulnerable people. Participants also discussed some of the challenges of engaging ‘hard to reach’ groups.

NHWN then hosted a series of regional workshops

across England and Wales, where they talked to volunteers to obtain the views of the wider grassroots membership on NHWN’s priorities and the future and direction of the movement.

NHWN Chairman Jim Maddan said: “It was fantastic to have the chance to talk through these important topics with NHW volunteers, partners and key stakeholders. It was thought-provoking and inspiring to listen to their view of the future and their vision for the movement in 5 years’ time. We feel much better-equipped to set our priorities now. This is an exciting time for us, and we are confident that the NHW movement will continue assisting the police and making communities safer and stronger over the next 5 years and beyond.”

NHWN’s new business plan is due to come into effect on 1st April 2015.

A report summarising the national event has been produced and can be viewed by visiting:

www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/general/NCSE_Report.pdf


Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch National Event

The Patron of Step Up To Serve and the #Iwill campaign, HRH The Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister David Cameron, addressed young people involved in social action at an event in London to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the campaign.

Step Up To Serve aims to engage young people in social action through uniform youth groups such as the Volunteer Police Cadets. The aim; is that all young people should be a member of a uniformed youth group that engages in social action and that as adults they continue to volunteer in their communities. The campaign seeks to expand the capacity of uniformed youth groups, especially those that can directly impact on community resilience and wellbeing.

As a national leader in the development of Volunteer Police Cadets (VPC) and out of hundreds who applied, two of Lancashire Constabulary’s cadets were invited to the event to receive awards.

Since joining Lancashire VPC, at the Lancaster Unit, Sky and Emma have both got involved as volunteers at a care home for the elderly and at a

homeless centre. Both did a sponsored walk for Leukaemia Research earlier this year raising muchneeded funds. Lancashire Constabulary are now hoping for great things for their younger

brother Jake who has also just become a Cadet. With another eight brothers and sisters it is hoped for a whole generation of good work and social action in the future.

Chief Inspector Ian Sewart said “My sincere thanks and best wishes must go to Sky and Emma who have represented Lancashire Constabulary so well and have truly upheld our Lancashire Cadet motto of ‘Let’s get out there and do some good’. PC Kath Bromilow, who is seconded to the National VPC team and who nominated both sisters must, along with all the Cadet Leaders at our Lancaster

Unit, be congratulated for raising our profile at a national level and facilitating our Cadets who just want to do good in their local community. Well done for making us proud.”

This story and many more will be featured in an up and coming BBC documentary and will be published in the national press and media.


Two Lancashire Volunteer Police Cadets become #iwill ambassadors as part of the national Step Up To Serve campaign

Lancashire Volunteer Police Cadets, and sisters, Sky and Emma Roberts in London


Being a Special Constable is never a dull job, no two shifts are ever the same but recently Specials in Warwickshire and West Mercia have been getting involved in a couple of different challenges to the ones they are used to. Back in November, groups of school children took over police stations in both forces as part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day - an initiative to give young people the chance to work with adults for the day and be involved in decision-making. In Warwickshire, special constables assisted local school children to deal with the ‘murder of Rachael Taylor’. The (role play) circumstances being that... At 7am Friday 21 November 2014 the body of Rachel is found lying face down in her house on the lounge carpet. Police and ambulance arrive at the address and confirm a crime scene. At 8.45am a briefing is held in the Major Incident Room at Rugby police station with a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO). A few early crime scene photos are available of the victim and the scene that have been sent through by the officers first on the scene. The officers at the scene have cordoned off the house and are awaiting further instructions from the team investigating.

From here on in, local school children ran the investigation, working with a trained SIO and Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO). In order to solve the case, the team, consisting of one school child from each of the local schools, were required to make decisions regarding the crime scene, plan an investigation strategy, interview witnesses, identify an offender, brief the local Chief Superintendent and arrest the ‘suspect’. With the assistance of role-actors (local special constables, PCSO’s and cadets), the youngest and newest murder squad in Warwickshire were able to make an arrest and charge the offender with murder - luckily for him, he was released on bail in time for his shift later that night! The Children benefited from the opportunity to experience the world of work and make their voices heard, while the officers and police staff involved in the day gained a fresh perspective on what they do. A great day was had by all with lots of positive feedback. One young person said, ’I have never even considered the police force as a possible career path, even as just as a possible interest, but this day successfully widened my vision’.

Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police Specials save the day!


Using funds made available from the national Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC) team, Lancashire Constabulary and GMP worked in unison to hold a Cadet Leader Development Conference. Over 100 Cadet Leaders attended to learn how to roll out the national Cadet Community Leadership Programme, which had been launched in London September 2014.

Natasha Shaw, Cadet Development Officer for Lancashire Constabulary who organised the event with her GMP counterpart said, “This has been a great opportunity to share good practice and expand our support network for Cadet Leaders. As regional lead for the Volunteer Police Cadets it made sense to include

other force areas, such as Suffolk and Hampshire, that were able to bring a great deal of enthusiasm and experience to the event. The conference has left all attendees ready to deliver the new national Community Leadership Programme.”

Chief Inspector Ian Sewart said, “It was great to welcome so many guests all wanting to contribute to the Volunteer Police Cadets over and above their day job. Hosting a joint event added to the excitement and opened up a whole new networking opportunity for our Cadet Leaders all of whom enter into the scheme with enthusiasm and passion. My thanks to all who attended, I wish them well in the delivery of the new Community Leadership Programme.”

Lancashire Constabulary and Greater Manchester Police join forces to deliver joint Cadet Leader Development Conference


Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Cadets joined forces with the Friends of Memorial Park in Great Harwood to ensure residents get a blooming surprise in spring. Thousands of bulbs were planted in the park, enough to put the smile on anyone’s face when they come up in spring. Cadets mixed with families and friends of the park to ensure the planting was done in no time. Great work cadets!!

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS...

Terry Wilkins to step down from national role

Terry Wilkins OBE is to step down from his national police volunteering role, at the end of the financial year, after having been heavily involved in the Police Support Volunteer (PSV) programme for the last 17 years.

Terry started his career as a police officer in

Birmingham police but left the force in 1967 after 5 years to go and work at 3M, rising to a senior level post of General Marketing Manager. He retired in 1997.

Terry then joined Thames Valley Police as a volunteer in 1998 and has been highly instrumental in developing the volunteer programme force-wide.

In addition to his dedicated local volunteer efforts Terry became national PSV Programme Manager in 2007, responsible for co-ordinating PSV national support for the 43 Home Office forces of England and Wales. This role included significant involvement in the development of best practice and guidance and other supporting materials to help forces start-up their own PSV programmes. The tasks involved demanded a high level of engagement and commitment, which Terry freely gave to assist forces and raise awareness of the additionality and value that volunteers can provide in support of regular officers and staff.

As national PSV Programme Manager, Terry played a major role in advancing awareness of PSVs and their benefits. Significant among his achievements are planning and delivering three national PSV conferences in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and also the Citizens in Policing Conference in 2014, which have helped to greatly enhance awareness of and engagement in the programme by forces. He also chaired a Working

Party which reviewed progress and considered local issues relating to PSV programmes, developed a detailed five-year PSV Business Plan, and played a lead role in the ongoing delivery of bespoke workshops for police forces as part of the Citizens in Policing Programme.

In 2012, in recognition of his efforts as a volunteer, Terry was awarded the OBE for his services to Policing.

More recently in 2014 Terry joined the College of Policing as a volunteer, where he continued to perform a national level role supporting police forces and a wide range of volunteers.

DCC Rob Beckley, Chief Operating Officer at the College of Policing, paid tribute to Terry’s efforts saying:

“Working with Terry has been both a privilege and an education. He is fantastically committed and hard-working and is a real example of selfless public service. He is also enormously knowledgeable and clear about the principles and philosophy underpinning the development of volunteering in policing. And he knows far too many jokes that make you groan. He is irreplaceable, unlike his jokes!”

Without Terry’s drive and determination, allied to the committed support he has provided to forces, the national PSV programme would not be in such a healthy position. This has also added to the significant ongoing work to engage with a wider range of volunteers in policing as part of the Citizens in Policing portfolio.

Terry has indicated an intention to remain involved in a reduced capacity in future, but The College of Policing would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge Terry’s achievements at a national level over the years. Terry’s drive, commitment and energy will have a lasting impact on the future of volunteering in policing and, by extension, to policing practice and culture overall.

College of Policing Update

Documents

Issue 11 - WINTeR 2015 - DutySheet